Romani Rose Fellowship 2027: Up to €20,000 for EU Researchers in Antigypsyism and Racism Studies

Romani Rose Fellowship 2027: Up to €20,000 for EU Researchers in Antigypsyism and Racism Studies

The Romani Rose Fellowship is a 2027 research funding opportunity for promising doctoral and postdoctoral researchers whose work addresses antigypsyism, racism, or a closely related field. It is hosted by the Research Centre on Antigypsyism (RCA) at Heidelberg University’s Department of History, within the Centre for European History and Cultural Studies, and funded by the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation.

The 2027 call is open for applications until 30 September 2026. It offers two routes. A doctoral scholarship provides €1,666 per month for 12 months, beginning 1 January 2027. A postdoctoral scholarship provides €2,500 per month for eight months, with a start date between 1 January and 1 May 2027. Both routes are intended for applicants from European Union countries with a strong academic record and a research project that fits the fellowship’s subject area.

This is a focused academic fellowship rather than a general travel grant or a conventional university admission award. The RCA expects the fellow to engage regularly with its research environment in Heidelberg. A workstation equipped with a computer is provided, and the fellow can use the centre’s library and specialised collection. The official notice says that travel and living expenses are included in the fellowship funding, while arranging accommodation remains the fellow’s responsibility. That distinction matters when deciding whether the monthly amount is workable for your circumstances.

Key details

The public notice describes the fellowship as having an annual funding amount of €20,000. The monthly figures and durations above are the more useful way to assess the two tracks: the doctoral amount totals €19,992 over 12 months, while the postdoctoral amount totals €20,000 over eight months.

What the fellowship offers

The central benefit is protected time for a defined research project. Doctoral applicants may use the award to prepare, develop, or complete a dissertation. Postdoctoral applicants may use it to develop their scientific profile after completing a doctorate; researchers with a habilitation are also invited to apply. The funding period is short enough that the proposal needs a practical endpoint, but long enough to support a meaningful stage of research rather than a brief visit.

The RCA provides a physical research base in Heidelberg. Fellows are expected to spend regular time at the centre so they can benefit from exchange with other researchers. The notice confirms a computer-equipped workstation, access to the RCA library, and access to its specialised collection. The Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma is also located nearby, which may be especially relevant for projects that need documentary, cultural, or community-oriented context.

The fellowship is connected to the long-term human-rights and civic work associated with Romani Rose, the chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma. That history does not mean every application must take the same methodological or disciplinary approach. It does mean that applicants should show why their work contributes to a serious understanding of antigypsyism, racism, social exclusion, representation, history, policy, or related questions.

The funding is designed to include travel and living expenses. The fellow must still manage the practical arrangements for accommodation, including finding a place to live. Before applying, build a realistic personal budget that covers rent, local transport, insurance, deposits, and any costs that the notice does not itemise separately. The fellowship amount should not be treated as a promise that Heidelberg housing will be provided.

Who is eligible

The call is aimed at particularly gifted and committed researchers from European Union countries. The public notice also requires a completed university degree and distinguishes the academic standard for the two tracks.

For the doctoral scholarship, applicants need an outstanding university degree and a project connected to the preparation, development, or completion of a doctorate. The doctoral route lasts 12 months and starts on 1 January 2027. If your doctorate is already substantially complete, explain why the proposed fellowship period is still necessary and what work will be completed during it.

For the postdoctoral scholarship, applicants need an outstanding doctorate or habilitation. The postdoctoral route lasts eight months and is intended to support career development after the doctorate. Habilitated researchers may apply, and the start date can fall between 1 January and 1 May 2027. Choose the route that matches your academic stage; do not present a postdoctoral project as though it were still a dissertation, or a doctoral application as though the degree were already finished.

The proposed topic should relate to antigypsyism studies or a related area such as racism research. Interdisciplinary work is expressly encouraged. A project can therefore draw on history, sociology, political science, cultural studies, law, education, media studies, anthropology, or another relevant field, provided the connection is explained rather than assumed.

The notice places particular value on dialogue with people affected by antigypsyism. Qualified early-career researchers from Sinti and Roma communities are especially welcome to apply. This is not a substitute for a strong project design, but it is a useful signal about the research centre’s expectations around sensitivity, accountability, and whose knowledge is included in the work.

Is this the right fit for your project?

Start by naming the problem your research will examine. “Antigypsyism in Europe” is a subject area, not yet a fellowship project. A stronger starting point identifies a period, place, archive, policy, institution, media corpus, community experience, legal development, or comparative question. Then state what the project will make possible that is not already available in the literature.

The RCA is likely to be most useful when its collections, research community, location, or nearby institutions materially improve the project. Explain what you will use in Heidelberg and why that setting matters. If the fellowship could be carried out unchanged from your current desk, the application may not show enough value in the host environment. A good “why Heidelberg” paragraph should connect your research question to the RCA library, specialised collection, regular scholarly exchange, or the nearby Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma.

Fit also includes scale. A 12-month doctoral scholarship or eight-month postdoctoral scholarship cannot carry an entire career plan. It can support a defined phase: archival research and a chapter plan, analysis of a bounded dataset, a dissertation completion schedule, a book proposal, an article series, a policy-oriented study, or another outcome that can be described and completed within the award period.

What to submit

The application package is concise, but the file-format rule is strict. The official notice asks applicants to send the following in one PDF document without attachments:

• A research proposal of no more than three pages, explaining the topic and objectives of the project.
• An overview of previous studies and academic degrees.
• A tabular curriculum vitae.

Send the single PDF by email to Dr. Frank Reuter at [email protected] no later than 30 September 2026. The public notice does not provide a separate online portal or a separate reference-letter requirement. Do not add extra files unless the research centre confirms that its instructions have changed.

The three-page limit makes structure important. Use the opening section to define the question and its importance. Follow with the evidence, materials, or method you will use. State the work plan and the result you expect to produce. Finish by explaining the project’s relevance to antigypsyism studies and the reason the RCA is an appropriate research setting. Keep background history proportional to the space available; reviewers need to see what you will actually do.

How to prepare a competitive application

Build the proposal around a testable or answerable question rather than a general statement of concern. If you are working with sources, identify the corpus and explain how it will be selected. If the project includes interviews or community dialogue, describe the relationship, consent, and safeguarding approach at a level appropriate to the field. If the project is historical or archival, identify the collections and the interpretive problem they help resolve.

Show the project in stages. For example, the doctoral route might begin with a focused literature and source review, move to analysis or chapter drafting, and end with a defined dissertation milestone. A postdoctoral applicant might propose a bounded comparative study, a book manuscript revision, a new publication series, or a research design that positions the applicant for the next career stage. The exact sequence should reflect your project, not a generic fellowship formula.

Treat the CV as evidence, not a list of every activity you have ever done. Put the academic qualifications relevant to the selected track where they are easy to find. Then foreground publications, research experience, language or methodological preparation, community engagement, and work that demonstrates sustained commitment to the subject. The committee needs to see both academic ability and a credible relationship with the issue.

Before sending the PDF, ask a reader outside your subfield to check whether the problem, method, timetable, and expected result are understandable. Ask another reader with relevant subject expertise to challenge the interpretation and the ethical framing. Confirm that the PDF opens correctly, contains no accidental tracked changes, and uses a filename that identifies you and the fellowship. Request a delivery or receipt confirmation and retain the exact submitted file.

Timeline and practical planning

The application deadline is 30 September 2026. The doctoral award begins on 1 January 2027 and runs for 12 months. The postdoctoral award begins between 1 January and 1 May 2027 and runs for eight months. The notice does not publish a separate selection-announcement date, so applicants should not assume that a decision will arrive by a particular month.

Use the remaining time to settle the academic stage, narrow the proposal, and confirm that the EU-country requirement applies to your situation. If your nationality, current residence, degree institution, or proposed host arrangement is unusual, email the official contact before the deadline rather than relying on an interpretation from a third-party listing.

Plan the move as part of the application decision. Regular presence at the RCA is expected. The fellowship includes travel and living expenses within the funding amount, but accommodation remains the fellow’s responsibility. Investigate the Heidelberg rental market, likely deposits, transport, and any institutional leave requirements before you submit. A project that is academically excellent can still be impractical if the applicant has not planned how to live and work in Heidelberg.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most obvious mistake is submitting a proposal that is too broad. A large claim about prejudice or historical injustice is not a research plan until it has a defined object, method, and outcome. The next is treating the three-page proposal as a personal statement. Motivation matters, but most of the limited space should show what the research will examine and how it will be completed.

Do not hide the connection to antigypsyism or a related field behind a title. Explain the connection directly and respectfully. Do not use community language or dialogue as a decorative sentence if affected people are central to the topic; show how their perspectives shape the research question, evidence, or dissemination plan. Also avoid making unsupported claims about access to archives, supervision, or accommodation. The official notice confirms the RCA workstation, library, and collection, but it does not promise a dedicated supervisor or housing.

Finally, do not split the application into several email attachments. The instruction is a single PDF without attachments. A technically incomplete submission can fail before the committee considers the quality of the research.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Romani Rose Fellowship fully funded?

It provides a monthly fellowship amount intended to include travel and living expenses. The doctoral route pays €1,666 per month for 12 months, and the postdoctoral route pays €2,500 per month for eight months. Accommodation is the fellow’s responsibility, so applicants should make their own Heidelberg budget before applying.

Can a researcher from outside the European Union apply?

The official notice says the fellowship is awarded to researchers from countries in the European Union. Experience working on European antigypsyism does not, by itself, replace that eligibility statement. If your status is complicated, ask the Research Centre on Antigypsyism for a written clarification.

Do I need to be a historian?

No specific discipline is stated as a requirement. The notice welcomes research related to antigypsyism or a connected field such as racism research and expressly encourages interdisciplinary approaches. Your proposal must still explain the subject fit and method clearly.

What is the maximum proposal length?

The research proposal may be no more than three pages. It should outline the content and objectives of the project. The academic-degree overview and tabular CV are additional parts of the single PDF.

Must I live in Heidelberg for the whole award?

The notice expects the scholarship holder to be regularly present at the Research Centre so they can benefit from scholarly exchange. It provides a workstation and access to the centre’s facilities. Ask the RCA about the practical expectation if your project requires a particular schedule.

Where do I send the application?

Send one PDF without attachments by email to Dr. Frank Reuter at [email protected] by 30 September 2026.

Official links and next steps

Read the official Heidelberg University Romani Rose Fellowship notice before preparing your submission. It is the authoritative source for the 2027 dates, funding amounts, eligibility, documents, and email address. The notice links to the complete tender on H-Soz-Kult, which provides the same call in more detail.

If the fellowship fits your academic stage, draft the three-page proposal first. That will expose whether the research question is narrow enough, whether the RCA is genuinely useful, and whether the project can reach a meaningful milestone within eight or twelve months. Then assemble the degree overview and tabular CV into one PDF, check the message and file carefully, and submit before the 30 September deadline.